Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1887-08-04
STRUCK ON THE STACK.

STRUCK ON THE STACK.
Henry Severn Felled by Lightning
and Instantly Killed. Near
Windsor.
The number of electric storms in North
Dakota during the past six weeks has
been something almost unprecedented.
The atmosphere has been overcharged
with the electric fluid, and from nearly
every storm which has arisen, reports OF
fatalities or destruction to property have
quickly followed. Tuesdays storm was
no exception to the general rule of this
year, and secured it's victim in the person
of Henry Severn, a well-to-do and highly
respected farmer, living about two miles
southeast of the city. ..
Mr.. Severn, in company with his son
Charles, had for some days been camping
out in the hills about ten miles northwest
of Windsor, putting up hay. Mr.. Severn
has claim in that neighborhood and was
stacking the hay on the ground expecting
that one of the family would winter there
with his stock, in which he had consider
able money invested. Tuesday afternoon
he and his son we're stacking some hay
Which had been recently cured, when the
storm arose. The stack was situated in a
low slough surrounded on every side by
hills about thirty feet high, and as no
rain was falling, and no danger appre-
hended from lightning, they worked
steadily on endeavoring to get all the hay
into stack before the clouds, which had
been gathering all the afternoon, let fall
their water.
The deadly bolt which SO quickly and
mysteriously ended Mr.. Severn's exist
enoe fell from small cloud shortly after
six o'clock. Mr.. Severn himself was on
the stack with pitchfork, and his son
was standing on the hay rack gathering
up the last forkful to round up the stack
and complete their days labor, when
with flash and "a roar the electric bolt
descended. 1t passed through Mr. Sew
ern's body, through the hay and into the
ground. His son was stunned by the
shock and fell into the rack, while the
horses which we're also much startled by
the nearness of the flash and the loudness
of the report, started of on a run.
Charles recovered in time to check the
team after it had gone about fifty rods.
He Immediately returned to the stack
and finding it blazing, called to his father
to get down as the stack was on fire. Not
| h< nj. no
hay and found the body of bis father ly,
ing ifeless: In an excited state Of mind
he dragged the body short distance to
to the ranch of w. p. Lampson, about six
miles distant. With Mr.. Lamson and his
father-in-law, Mr.. Hall, he returned to the
stack and started for home with the dead
body. Leaving Mr.. Lampson and the
body at the ranch, Charles started for
this city with the sad intelligence.
| Mr.. Lampson and Mr.. Hall arrived here
about II o'clock yesterday morning with
the body which was taken to Mr.. Sew
ern's home south of the city. Upon sight
of the dead body of her husband, Mrs.
Severn tainted away.
The remains we're not distigured, but
the hair covering a small place on the
side of the head was burned off where the
bolt struck. The ear was blackened, part
of his whiskers burned and the cords of
his neck turned black. The bolt travelled
his whole length, tearing of one shoe,
and then setting fire to the hay rick
which burned to the ground.
| Mr.. Severn was AZ years old. He was
a prosperous and enterprising farmer and
had lived in Stutsman county about nine
years. He was pioneer here, being the
first settler to build house and begin
farming on the south side Of the river.
He leaves wife and three sons, one of
whom is married. Deceased was univer-
sally respected and made many friends
who regret ex ceedingly his untimely loss.
The funeral will occur this afternoon
from the residence and will be conducted
by Rev. n. d. Tanning.